Igor Tudor is starting to look like a man out of ideas and Tottenham are paying the price.
This latest collapse, a humiliating 3-0 home defeat to Nottingham Forest, may be the clearest sign yet that the Spurs boss is losing his grip at the worst possible time.
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For 44 minutes, there were signs of life.
Tottenham were organised, competitive and, by their recent standards, actually looked like a team with a plan. The home crowd responded, creating the kind of atmosphere the occasion demanded. Everything pointed towards a side ready to fight.
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Then it all unravelled in an instant.
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Igor Jesus’ header just before half-time was a blow. But what followed was far more damaging.
Tudor panicked.
His starting XI had already raised eyebrows, with Micky van de Ven shunted to left-back, Djed Spence on the right, and Pedro Porro pushed further forward. It was unconventional, arguably unnecessary, but, for a half at least, it worked.
And yet, at the first sign of trouble, Tudor ripped it up.
Van de Ven and Spence were hauled off at half-time, replaced by Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall. Porro dropped back. The system changed. Again.
It was a gamble and it backfired spectacularly.
Tottenham didn’t respond. They collapsed.
Any structure or confidence built in the first half disappeared, and once Morgan Gibbs-White doubled Forest’s lead, the game was effectively over.
This is becoming a worrying pattern.
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Tudor talks about intensity and control, but his in-game decisions tell a different story. One of a manager reacting, not leading. Chasing the game instead of shaping it.
Even when Spurs are on top, one setback is enough to trigger wholesale changes. Systems are abandoned, players shuffled, and any sense of identity disappears.
That kind of instability spreads quickly and right now this Tottenham squad looks like one that no longer knows what it’s supposed to be doing.
We’ve seen it before, too. The triple substitution against Fulham. The constant tactical reshuffles. The lack of consistency from one week to the next.
Nothing is sticking.
With just seven games left, Tottenham are running out of time to save their season. The situation is still recoverable, but only if there is clarity from the touchline.
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